Spanish Phrase
¿Terminaste la tarea?
Meaning
This question asks whether someone has completed their homework. It uses the preterite form 'terminaste' to refer to a finished action in the past, and the direct object 'la tarea' (the homework). The question mark at the beginning follows Spanish punctuation rules.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to check if a classmate, sibling, or child has already finished the assigned work, especially after a deadline or before moving on to another activity.
✦Grammar Breakdown
¿Terminastelatarea?
Preterite of terminar
‘Terminaste’ is the second‑person singular (tú) form of the preterite of terminar, used for actions completed at a specific point in the past.
Definite article ‘la’
The article agrees with the feminine noun ‘tarea’, indicating a specific piece of homework.
Inverted question marks
Spanish requires an opening ‘¿’ and a closing ‘?’ for all questions.
Subject omission
The subject ‘tú’ is omitted because the verb ending –aste already indicates the second‑person singular.
🗨In Conversation
¿Terminaste la tarea?
Did you finish the homework?
Sí, ya la terminé. ¿Quieres que la revise?
Yes, I already finished it. Do you want me to check it?
✕Common Mistakes
¿Terminas la tarea?
‘Terminas’ is present tense; the question asks about a completed action, so use the preterite ‘terminaste’.
¿Terminaste el tarea?
‘Tarea’ is feminine; the correct article is ‘la’, not ‘el’.
¿Terminaste la tarea
Spanish requires both opening and closing question marks.
↔Alternatives
¿Ya terminaste la tarea?
Did you already finish the homework?
¿Has terminado la tarea?
Have you finished the homework?
¿Completaste la tarea?
Did you complete the homework?
Cultural Tip
In many Spanish‑speaking classrooms, teachers often ask this question at the end of a lesson to make sure everyone is on track. Using the preterite (terminaste) signals that the task should be done by now, while the present perfect (has terminado) can sound more informal or imply a recent completion.